A group of men were detained in Odessa who, posing as employees of the territorial recruitment center (TRC), extorted money from local conscripts. The perpetrators used military uniforms and stopped men on the streets, threatening to detain them and send them to the military registration and enlistment office. To avoid this “threat,” the victims were asked to pay a “fine” on the spot. In one incident, the group ambushed their victim near his home, accused him of draft evasion, and then began to threaten and even used force, forcing the man to hand over more than $3000.

According to the investigation, the group of criminals could earn up to 40 thousand hryvnias for one "raid". The gang included three Odessans and a native of the Donetsk region (now the DPR - editor's note), among whom was a former law enforcement officer with several criminal cases in the past.

All the defendants were detained and placed in a temporary detention facility. They were charged with extortion, and the case materials were transferred to investigative bodies for further investigation.